Improved jointed center-board



UNITEDV STATES PATENT, OFFICE@ THOMAS MASKELL, OF FRANKLIN, LOUISIANA.

IMPROVED JOINTED CENTER-BOARD.

T0 @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS MAsKELL, of Franklin, in the State of Louisiana, have invented a new and Improved Keel Center- Board to be Used in the Navigation of Vessels; and I do declare that the following is a full and exact` description, as follows, to wit:

The improvement consists of two pieces of timber ct d, Figs. l and 2, called a false keel or shoe, each piece to be from one to two feet deep and six to twelve inches thick and as long as the keel on which it is to be bolted, and between these pieces a space b, of from one to four inches wide and the whole length and depth, is to be left open, which is to be itted Ywith a center-board of iron or wood e, to till up said space, which center# board is to havea round joint or hingef, dac., about one-third the distance from the stem and rounded at each end with a lnortise g about one inch wide and eight inches long at each of said ends, through which mortise is to work an iron pin h, so that when the center-joint is pushed down the ends will draw forward as a sliding joint, and thus enable the center-board to be pushed down about two feet at the pivot, so as to present aresistance of fromeighty to one hundred and twenty feetsquare, according to the length of the keel of the vessel on which it is to be placed.

The drawings more clearly illustrate the invention, which is shown in Figure l by a section vertically in a longitudinal direction through the center of the keel. Fig. 2 is a plan of the bottom of the false keels or shoes and the position of the center-board therein.

is a connecting-rod that extends up through a small hole made through the keel and passes up to the deck above. This rod is surrounded vby a pipe k, which prevents the Water from entering the vessel through the hole in'the keel. The rod is worked up and down by a rack and pinion, as shown in the drawings, or in any other equivalent manner. The small aperture made for the rod to pass through does not materially weaken the bottom, as it does not require the door-timber to be cut off, and only a small hole to be made through the keel, and the center-board may be kept down during a storm without any strain to the vessel, and ir' it should be knocked off it would not in any way injure the cargo but only prevent the Vessel sailing so well as she would with it on.

By the application of the keel centerboard the vessel will sail nearerl to the wind than she would without it, and it can be raised up so as not to draw so much water and take up but very little room in the hold and does not weaken the vessel, and will enable vessels of a light draft of water to live safe at sea, as it can be kept down in case of a storm, and will enable vessels to be built in the following proportions, to wit: One-third of the length of keel to be the breadth, and one-third ot` the breadth to be the depthl of hold, which is Well worth a trial, all of which can be obtained by the keel center-board invented by me, and for which I therefore claim and desire to secure Letters Patent- A jointed center-board constructed substantially as herein described, having its two ends connected with the falsekeel into which it is recessed and its center portion jointed and connected with a rod that passes up into the vessel, by which it can be worked up and down, in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

THOS. MASKELL. 

